Tennis

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Peter Wessels, a Dutch qualifier ranked 488th, beat top-seeded Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-3 Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Ordina Open.

On the women's side, top-seeded Jelena Jankovic defeated Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine, 6-2, 6-1 to earn a semifinal against fourth-seeded Dinara Safina in this grass-court Wimbledon warmup. Safina downed Flavia Pennetta 6-1, 7-5.

Wessels broke Robredo, a Spaniard ranked No. 7, twice in the first set and once in the second.

"Almost everything went right today," Wessels said. "I would never have believed this last week -- I didn't even know I'd be playing here. And now I'm in the semifinals."

Earlier, second-seeded Ivan Ljubicic reached the semifinals, beating Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-3, 6-7 (, 6-3. Julien Benneteau of France also made it to the last four, defeating German qualifier Michael Berrer 7-6 (2), 7-5.

The other quarterfinal, between Benjamin Becker and Antony Dupuis, was suspended because of darkness after rain held up play. Dupuis won the first set in a tiebreak and it was 3-3 in the second when play was halted.

The only surprise in the women's draw came when fifth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova overpowered second-seeded Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-1. Hantuchova next will play third-seeded Anna Chakvetadze, who beat Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-2.

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Mario Ancic withdrew from Wimbledon on Thursday because of a continuing illness, and Li Na pulled out with a rib injury.

Ancic, who was seeded 18th, reached the semifinals at the All England Club in 2004. He has been sidelined for months with mononucleosis, and also pulled out of the French Open last month.

The Croatian probably is best known as the last player to beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon, upsetting the Swiss in the first round in 2002.

Ancic will be replaced by Frank Dancevic of Canada.

Li, also seeded 18th, became the first Chinese player to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event at last year's Wimbledon. She will be replaced by Alize Cornet of France.

Anastasia Myskina, the 2004 French Open champion, previously had withdrawn, along with Vera Zvonareva, Zheng Jie and Romina Oprandi.

On the men's side, Gaston Gaudio, Xavier Malisse, Jurgen Melzer, Paradorn Srichaphan and Jose Acasuso have withdrawn.

Wimbledon starts Monday.

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Justine Henin and Amelie Mauresmo reached the semifinals at Eastbourne after victories on Thursday.

The top-ranked Belgian made few mistakes at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament, defeating Nicole Vaidisova 6-2, 6-2. Fourth-ranked Amelie Mauresmo defeated Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-4.

Henin will face Marion Bartoli, who cruised past Elena Dementieva of Russia 6-1, 6-0.

Mauresmo will play Nadia Petrova, who needed three hours and two injury timeouts to beat Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-4. Petrova received treatment for a back strain and later a cramped left thigh in the third set.

Henin led 5-0 in the first set before losing two straight games.

"I was very happy the way I played, and the way I served especially," Henin said. "My attitude and the way I played tactically was very good and she never really had the time to get a rhythm and really be into the match."

Mauresmo recovered from an early break in the first set, and fell behind 4-2 in the second set before rallying to win the next four games.

"I lost a little bit of intensity in the beginning of the second set and she was able to break me," Mauresmo said. "But I really focused and got the intensity back and made sure I was going to break her back right away and finish really strong."

Bartoli, who also beat Dementieva at the French Open, benefited from two successive double-faults to break in the first game. Although she then dropped her own serve in the next game, she swept the next five to take the opening set.

Trailing 4-0 in the second set, Dementieva received a warning for ball abuse.

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Roger Federer aims for his fifth straight Wimbledon title, while Justine Henin looks for her first championship at the grass-court Grand Slam. Both were seeded No. 1 on Wednesday.

Rafael Nadal, the Wimbledon runner-up last year, was seeded No. 2 ahead of Andy Roddick.

The draw will be held Friday for the third major of the year, which begins Monday.

Maria Sharapova, who won the 2004 title at 17, is seeded No. 2, followed by Jelena Jankovic. Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo was seeded fourth.

Two-time winner and Australian Open champion Serena Williams is No. 7.

In determining the seedings, Wimbledon took past performances on grass into account. The seedings at other Grand Slams mirror the rankings.

Venus Williams was seeded 24th, seven places above her ranking because of five final appearances in the past seven years. The most recent of her three titles came in 2005, when she became the lowest seeded player to win the women's title at No. 14.

Federer won the first of four straight Wimbledon titles in 2003. Henin, the French Open champion, will attempt to improve upon her losses in the 2001 and 2006 final.

Fifth-ranked Novak Djokovic was moved up to the No. 4 seeding after winning in Estoril, Miami, and Adelaide, Australia, and losing to Nadal in the French Open semifinals.

Eleventh-ranked Tomas Berdych was seeded No. 7, switching places with Tommy Robredo, while Marcos Baghdatis was the biggest beneficiary of the system. The Cypriot player, who lost to Nadal in straight sets in last year's semifinals, was seeded at No. 10, six places above his ATP ranking.

Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, was No. 16, three spots above his ranking.

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Tennis star Guillermo Coria on Wednesday settled his lawsuit against a New Jersey-based vitamin maker he blamed for a positive steroid test that cost him millions in earnings.

Terms between Coria and Universal Nutrition, which had denied making tainted pills, were not disclosed.

The deal came as the 25-year-old Argentine was to testify on the second day of the trial.

Coria had charged that a contaminated multivitamin not only kept him from competing for seven months in 2001 and 2002, but besmirched his reputation and cost him at least $10 million in prize money, bonuses, appearance fees and endorsements.

Richard Grossman, a lawyer for New Brunswick-based Universal in central New Jersey, on Tuesday said the company is not to blame for any contamination. He told the jury Universal took care to prevent steroids from being mixed into batches of vitamins.

Coria, once ranked No. 3 in the world, did not speak to reporters as he left the courtroom. Lawyers for him and the company declined to give any details on the deal.

The deal was announced by state Superior Court Judge Bradley J. Ferencz after about five hours of closed-door negotiations between the sides, which at times appeared to include Coria and members of his family.

The judge said the parties agree with the finding of a tribunal of the ATP, the governing body of men's tennis, that the positive test was caused by "inadvertent and unknowing ingestion of a banned substance."

"Parties further agree that Universal's products were safe as formulated to the label, and met all FDA standards," Ferencz said.

Court was then adjourned. Coria hugged his lawyers, shook hands with Universal personnel, and the judge, who said, "Good luck to you."

Outside court, Coria lawyer Will Nystrom said the matter was resolved, but declined further comment. "We can't say anything but what the judge said," he said.

Likewise, Universal's Grossman said, "We all agreed; nobody's going to say anything."

The only witness in the case was sports management executive Gavin Forbes, who on Tuesday told the Middlesex County jury that Coria's suspension for testing positive cost the young pro at least $10 million.

Forbes, of industry powerhouse IMG, said they were unable to get Coria endorsements when he returned to tennis in 2002. "We can only assume, since he was one of the biggest stars, it was because he had a taint to his name," he testified.

If a verdict had favored Coria, some experts believed it would be the first time a world-class professional athlete proved that a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs was caused by product contamination.

Coria, who turned pro in 2000 at age 18, was suspended in 2001 at age 19 for two years. The ATP reduced the penalty seven months after a lab test showed the multivitamin was tainted with steroids.

Coria was out of tennis from August 2001 to March 2002. He reached his highest ranking, No. 3, in May 2004. But he has played little in the past two years. Amid injuries, Coria dropped out of the top 100 in 2006, and is currently ranked 347th by the ATP.

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Venus and Serena Williams are teaming up again.

They will play doubles together for the first time since 2003 at Wimbledon, where play begins Monday.

"They requested a wild card and they got it," Venus Williams' agent, Carlos Fleming, said by telephone Wednesday.

The sisters haven't been doubles partners at any tournament since losing in the round of 16 at the All England Club four years ago.

They've won the Wimbledon doubles championship twice, in 2000 and 2002, part of a career Grand Slam in doubles that also includes the U.S. Open and French Open in 1999, and the Australian Open in 2001 and 2003.

In singles, they've won a total of 13 Grand Slam titles, five at Wimbledon: Venus won at the All England Club in 2000, 2001 and 2005, while Serena did in 2002 and 2003.

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خواهران ويليامز در رقابت*هاي دو نفره تنيس شركت مي*كنند


پس از كنار گذاشته شدن اختلافات 4 ساله، خواهران ويليامز تصميم به شركت در رقابت*هاي دو نفره ويمبلدون گرفتند.



به نقل از اسوشيتدپرس، سرنا و ونوس ويليامز كه سال*ها با يكديگر قهر بودند، با مراسم آشتي كنان روز گذشته نايك، تصميم گرفتند در رقابت*هاي دوبل ويمبلدون شركت كنند.

اين تيم دو نفره به تيم شكست ناپذير*ي*ها معروف بود؛ اما آخرين بار در سال 2003 قهرمان ويمبلدون شده و سپس منحل شد.

اتحاد ويليامز، باعث نگراني زوج*هاي بزرگي از روسيه، صربستان، بلژيك و اسپانيا شده است.

كارشناسان زيادي جام قهرماني رقابت*هاي دو نفره زنان ويمبلدون را از *اكنون در دستان خواهران ويليامز مي*بينند.

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رنكينگ جديد فدراسيون جهاني تنيس اعلام شد


فدراسيون جهاني تنيس رنكينگ جديد خود را در جريان رقابت*هاي ويمبلدون منتشر ساخت.



به نقل از خبرگزاري فرانسه، اندي راديچ، تنيسور مطرح جهان پس از درخشش در رقابت*هاي ملكه، به رتبه سوم صعود كرد.

نيكلاس موهات با 30 رتبه صعود ناگهاني، پس از رسيدن به ديدار نهايي رقابت*هاي ملكه، به مقام 76 جهان دست يافت.

بر اساس اين رده*بندي، راجر فدرر سوئيشي همچنان در رتبه اول و رافائل نادال اسپانيايي همچنان در رتبه دوم ايستاده*اند.

صعود توماس بردايچ چك به رتبه يازدهم پس از قهرماني در آزاد آلمان نيز از تغييرات قابلت توجه در جدول جهاني بود.

بر اساس رنكينگ جديد، نيكلاي داويدنكو از روسيه در رتبه چهارم، رايكوويچ از صربستان در رتبه پنجم و فرناندو گونزالس از شيلي در رتبه ششم قرار دارد.

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Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia won the the Ordina Open on Saturday for his first grass-court championship. Anna Chakvetadze of Russia captured the women's final of this Wimbledon warmup.

The second-seeded Ljubicic beat unseeded Peter Wessels of the Netherlands 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), and the third-seeded Chakvetadze defeated top-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3. It was the second title of the year for Ljubicic and Chakvetadze.

"I started off good but Jelena came back very strong," Chakvetadze said. "In the beginning of the third set, I had some luck."

Ljubicic is ranked 13th but got a tough challenge from Wessels. The 488th ranked player never dropped his serve in trying to win the second title of his 11-year career.

"Peter played a fantastic game. I couldn't break him once," said Ljubicic, the third Croat in a row to win this event after two titles for Mario Ancic.

Earlier Saturday, Wessels had completed his semifinal match against Antony Dupuis of France, winning 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), after it was halted Friday because of darkness.

"Beforehand I would have been happy to make the final," Wessels said. "But if you're there and so close, that's bitter."

Chakvetadze broke Jankovic in the final set to lead 4-2, only to drop serve in the next game. She recovered to 5-3 and then saved three break points to serve out the set.

Chakvetadze opened the match with a five-game streak before Jankovic found her pace and evened the first set at 5-5.

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Ivo Karlovic hit 21 aces, including one at 153 mph, to earn his first Nottingham Open title Saturday with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Arnaud Clement.

The win gives the Croat his first title on grass heading into Wimbledon, which starts Monday. Andy Roddick has the fastest serve on record, 155 mph in 2004.

"To tell the truth I didn't really expect to win," said Karlovic, who won his first ATP tour title in April on clay in Houston. "I came here to play a few matches, I was the last player in the draw."

The eighth-seeded Clement had played two matches Friday -- defeating top-seeded Richard Gasquet, then Jonas Bjorkman -- on an indoor hardcourt because of rain.

His fatigue showed in the second set, when he saved three set points before a Karlovic passing shot forced a deciding set. Karlovic made the decisive break of serve in the 10th game of the final set.

The two had met three times before, with Clement victorious both times on grass -- in the quarterfinals at Queen's 10 days ago, and in the first round at Den Bosch, Netherlands, in 2004.

"I had a very good chance to break him in the second set," Clement said. "After that there was nothing especially wrong, he played better than last week for sure when I beat him at Queen's."

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The route to the women's final at Wimbledon is filled with all sorts of obstacles.

Top-seeded Justine Henin, seeking her first Wimbledon title to complete a career Grand Slam, could face two-time champion Serena Williams in the quarterfinals.

Three-time winner Venus Williams could face 2004 champion Maria Sharapova in the fourth round and defending champion Amelie Mauresmo in the semifinals.

There's also the chance of another all-Williams final, with the sisters winding up in different halves of the draw.

But with Venus Williams seeded No. 23 and Serena Williams No. 7, it will be difficult to set up a repeat of the 2002 and 2003 finals.

"I'm feeling a great deal more belief in myself on grass," said Henin, coming off her third straight French Open title on clay. "I must still learn to trust myself more on this surface."

Friday's draw was kinder to Roger Federer, who is seeking to become the first player to win five straight men's championships since Bjorn Borg (1976-80).

Federer's main rivals in his part of the draw are Marat Safin, whom he could face in the third round, James Blake and Dmitry Tursunov. Federer could meet third-seeded Andy Roddick in the semifinals. Federer beat the American in the 2004 and 2005 finals.

Federer will open play on Centre Court on Monday against 85th-ranked Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia.

French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who lost to Federer in last year's final, has a more testing path.

The second-seeded Spaniard faces a potentially tricky opener against Mardy Fish of the United States. Fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic, 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt, 2002 runner-up David Nalbandian and 2006 semifinalist Marcos Baghdatis are all in Nadal's half of the draw.

Nadal could meet two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Sebastien Grosjean of France in the third round, with Tomas Berdych or veteran Jonas Bjorkman as possible quarterfinal opponents.

Roddick faces Justin Gimelstob in an all-American first-round matchup and could meet No. 8 Andy Murray in the quarterfinals -- if the British player recovers from a wrist injury that has sidelined him since May 15.

Unseeded Tim Henman was drawn to play Carlos Moya in the opening round. While Henman has reached the semifinals at Wimbledon four times, the last was in 2002 and his ranking has slumped to 78 amid poor form and injuries.

Mauresmo beat Henin in last year's final, and the two meet again Saturday in the final of the Wimbledon warmup at Eastbourne.

Henin, who lost to Venus Williams in the 2001 final, was drawn against Argentine qualifier Jorgelina Cravero in the first round.

Also in the top half of the women's draw with Henin and Serena Williams are 1997 champion Martina Hingis, Jelena Jankovic and Anna Chakvetadze.

Serena Williams won Wimbledon in 2002 and '03 and reached the final in '04. She spent much of 2006 injured and fell to No. 81 in the rankings, but routed Sharapova in the Australian Open final in January for her eighth Grand Slam title.

"Serena is on a great comeback and I don't think you can underestimate any player in the top 10," Sharapova said.

Serena Williams will open against Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain.

Second-seeded Sharapova and Venus Williams are lined up for a fourth-round meeting. Sharapova leads 3-1 in career play, but Venus Williams beat her in the 2005 semifinals on her way to her third and last Wimbledon title.

Sharapova faces Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan in the first round, while Venus Williams opens against Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva.

Mauresmo, who is seeded No. 4, opens her title defense against Jamea Jackson of the United States and could face French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals.

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Defending champion Justine Henin defeated second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2) Saturday in the final of the Eastbourne International, the last grass-court tuneup before Wimbledon begins Monday.

The matchup was a repeat of the 2006 Wimbledon final won by Mauresmo.

Henin remained unbeaten in eight matches at Eastbourne. This was the top-seeded Belgian's fifth title this year and third win in four matches over Mauresmo since losing to her at Wimbledon.

"It's another title for me and gives confidence," Henin said. "Amelie is one of the best players on grass and she proved it last year in Wimbledon."

Mauresmo broke to lead 3-1 in the first set, but allowed Henin to level in the seventh game on her sixth break point. They traded breaks again before Henin got a third break to go up 6-5 and then close out the set with an ace.

Henin got a quick break in the second set to lead 2-1 with a backhand winner, but Mauresmo fought back to even the score at 4-4. Mauresmo went on to dominate the tiebreaker, building a 6-1 lead before converting her fourth set point.

A forehand winner gave Mauresmo a break to lead 3-2 in the final set and she claimed her next two service games without surrendering a point.

But she failed to serve out the match at 5-4 when Henin broke with a forehand pass, and the Belgian went on to drop just two points in the tiebreaker.

Henin said the strong winds throughout the nearly three-hour match made it difficult for both players to make shots.

"It's been tough, it's been the biggest opponent for both of us," Henin said. "I'm a little bit tired because of the wind, not because of the tough match."

Mauresmo said it was her own mistakes that caused the defeat.

"The serve let me down a little bit," Mauresmo said. "Not enough first serves in, definitely, and a few volleys here and there that I had the occasion to put away and I didn't. ... Plus she played well in the key moments."

The last time Eastbourne staged a repeat of the Wimbledon final was in 1979, when Chris Evert defeated Martina Navratilova, after Navratilova had won the 1978 Wimbledon.

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Roger Federer wants to emulate Bjorn Borg by winning a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. One thing Borg did that Federer has no plans to copy? Announce his retirement at age 26.

"Such a pity. He could have played so much more," Federer said Sunday, a day before his first-round match against Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia.

"My big goal is still to be coming back here in 2012, playing the Olympics here at Wimbledon," the 25-year-old Federer continued. "That is still a long way away. Then after that, we'll see where my health takes me."

In the last 100 years, Borg is the only man to win Wimbledon five years in a row. Pete Sampras won the grass-court major four straight times from 1997-00, but his bid for No. 5 was ended by Federer in a fourth-round match in 2001.

A couple of months after that upset, Federer got a phone call from Borg.

"He called me up and thanked me for breaking Sampras' streak, keeping his alive. And now I'm going for Borg's record. It's ironic," Federer said. "But I've heard he's happy if I would tie it up."

They crossed paths last year in Dubai, where Borg played an exhibition match against old foe John McEnroe. Federer and Borg hit for about two hours and got a chance to chat.

"I was, like, so excited," Federer said.

The buzz around Wimbledon is that Borg will make an appearance, perhaps to participate in a trophy ceremony should Federer match his mark.

"I heard he's coming for the final weekend," Federer said with a smile. "I hope I'll be there, too."

RODDICK CAN'T WAIT: Enough with the clay. Andy Roddick was thrilled to get back to the grass.

After bowing out in the first round at the French Open, Roddick figures he'll have much more success on the manicured lawns of Wimbledon. He won the grass-court tuneup at Queen's Club last weekend for the fourth time.

"I feel like a good player again when I step onto the grass courts," said the No. 3-seeded American, who faces Justin Gimelstob in the first round Monday. "There's a certain sense of excitement, anxiousness. I got over here really early. I had to guard against getting too fired up the first couple days in practice, because there was still a long time before I was even going to play a match."

He's reached the final at the All England Club twice, losing to Roger Federer in 2004 and 2005. Roddick also was beaten by Federer in the 2003 semifinals here.

And the top-seeded Federer counts Roddick among the threats in this year's tournament.

"If Andy's in form, I think he's in good shape," Federer said, "because I think grass is one of his best surfaces."

The speed the ball travels on grass makes Roddick's record-setting serve -- he's been clocked at 155 mph -- even more difficult for opponents to handle. He lost in the third round at Wimbledon in 2006, but that was before pairing up with coach Jimmy Connors, who won the championship at the All England Club in 1974 and 1982.

"Last year was pretty forgettable for me. I felt like I was kind of limping in," Roddick said. "This year has a little bit of a different feeling."

MURRAY OUT: The man widely considered Britain's best hope for a strong showing at Wimbledon won't be playing.

Eighth-seeded Andy Murray pulled out with a right wrist injury Sunday. He upset two-time runner-up Andy Roddick en route to the fourth round at the All England Club last year, matching his best showing at a Grand Slam tournament.

"The doctor has advised me not to play and that I probably need about 10 days to be ready. Unfortunately, I don't think it is going to rain for the next 10 days," Murray said. "I love playing Wimbledon because of the great support I get from the British public and that is what I will miss the most."

The 20-year-old Murray hurt the wrist at the Hamburg Masters last month and hasn't competed since. He was replaced in the Wimbledon field by Kevin Kim of the United States, who lost in the qualifying rounds.

The last British man to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry in 1936.

While Tim Henman reached the semifinals four times, he's now 32 and lost in the second round each of the past two years.

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Eighth-seeded Andy Murray pulled out of Wimbledon with a right wrist injury Sunday, dealing a blow to British fans who considered him their best chance for a strong showing from a local player.

"The doctor has advised me not to play and that I probably need about 10 days to be ready," Murray said. "Unfortunately, I don't think it is going to rain for the next 10 days."

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Not one to doubt herself, or pay any heed to those who do, Serena Williams likes her chances as she returns to the All England Club.

"Like I always say, when I'm playing well, it's hard for anyone to beat me. It's just a fact. I think a lot of people understand that," said Williams, who won Wimbledon in 2002 and 2003 but missed last year's tournament with a left knee injury.

"I don't think anyone that has to play me goes home and shouts with joy."

Well, Lourdes Dominguez Lino, a Spaniard ranked 57th, was not invited to deliver a pre-tournament news conference, so her reaction to facing Williams will have to wait until Monday, when they're scheduled to meet on Day 1 of the grass-court Grand Slam.

It's been a tough stretch for the United States at tennis' top level of late, with zero American men's major champions since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open, a stretch of 14 tournaments. Things really hit bottom at the last Grand Slam, the French Open, where Roddick and the rest of the U.S. men were a combined 0-9.

The American women haven't fared that much better, with only one finalist at the past seven Grand Slams: Williams, who won January's Australian Open. Only one U.S. woman is seeded in the top 20 here: No. 7 Williams.

At last year's Wimbledon, all nine U.S. men were gone before the fourth round, only the second time since 1922 that's happened. And only one American woman, Shenay Perry, reached the fourth round.

Asked about that, Williams pointed out, "I wasn't here. ... That's the answer. That's why. So now that I'm here, it should be different."

Unlike most players, neither she nor her older sister Venus enters any warmup events on grass, meaning Monday's match will be Serena's first since losing in the French Open quarterfinals to the eventual champion, No. 1 Justine Henin.

They could meet at the same stage at Wimbledon and join three-time champion Venus Williams, defending champion Amelie Mauresmo, 2004 champion Maria Sharapova, and rising Serb stars Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic as candidates for strong showings.

"We are probably, I don't know, four or five (who are) able to get the trophy this year," Mauresmo said Sunday. "Yeah, I do consider myself part of these four or five."

The men's draw features only two Wimbledon winners: 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer, who is bidding for a fifth consecutive title, something last accomplished by Bjorn Borg in 1976-80.

As the reigning men's champion, Federer gets the honor of appearing first on Centre Court, where he plays Teimuraz Gabashvili, a Russian ranked 85th. Other men slated to play Monday, weather permitting -- the forecast (surprise!) calls for rain -- include two-time runner-up Roddick and No. 9 James Blake of the United States.

"It is a very dangerous surface. You can be upset by almost anybody, any round," said Federer, who said he gets nervous before each match, even if he has won a record 48 in a row on grass.

He, Roddick (up first on Court 1) and their opponents -- Roddick meets Justin Gimelstob of the United States -- will get first crack at using the "Hawk-Eye" call-challenge system, which is making its Wimbledon debut on the two main courts.

There's other change afoot at this most traditional of sporting events, including a different look for Centre Court, where the overhang ringing the arena has been removed as part of work to install a retractable roof by 2009, and equal prize money for women and men for the first time.

"It's a step forward for women in society in general," Mauresmo said.

The Frenchwoman is seeded fourth, a reflection of the inconsistent 12 months she's had. Sidelined after having her appendix removed, then hampered by injuries, Mauresmo has won only one title since Wimbledon.

"It was disappointing," she said. "But I'm definitely looking forward to (finding) some confidence, some rhythm again."

Serena Williams, another former No. 1, fell even further in the rankings, all the way out of the top 100, when she missed large chunks of time because of assorted injuries. But in Australia, she showed what she still is capable of doing by claiming her eighth major title, most among active women.

Williams said she hasn't figured out why she played "so horrendous, outrageously absurd" in a straight-set loss to Henin in Paris.

"It's not going to happen again. I'm not going to go out without a fight," Williams said. "If I do go out, it's going to be with a punch, with a bang."

Her first-round foe at Wimbledon owns a grand total of one Grand Slam match victory -- Dominguez Lino is 1-5 for her career at the sport's top events.

Not that it matters, as far as Williams is concerned. All that really matters is how she performs.

"I believe I'm definitely the best player if I'm playing well. It's hard for anyone to beat me," she said. "It's not even a belief. It's more of a fact."

She'll team with Venus in doubles, the first time they've partnered anywhere since Wimbledon in 2003. That could give them a little extra practice on the grass, the fastest tennis surface, where balls tend to skid more than bounce, putting a premium on good serving -- something at which both sisters excel.

That's why, even though Venus hasn't been beyond the quarterfinals at any major since winning Wimbledon in 2005, she shouldn't be dismissed as a contender.

As her little sister put it: "She's the best grass-court player in the draw. I think with her serve, her return, her volleys, she's always one to watch."